Officials: Miami Beach condo fire tied to scooter lithium battery

MIAMI BEACH -- There were some tense moments early Wednesday morning when a fire erupted inside a 4th floor apartment at a condominium building and some residents were evacuated.

The Miami Beach Fire Department responded swiftly and contained the blaze that happened at 4:50 a.m. at the Imperial House condominium building at 5255 Collins Avenue .

Authorities said the fire was tied to an electric scooter that was plugged in to a wall socket in a spare bedroom in order to charge its lithium-ion battery.

Carlos Almiranze lives at the building and used his cell phone to capture the flames after he was evacuated.

"It was the first time I was involved with this type of situation," he said. "It's a lot of flames and smoke. We are waiting to get back into the building. It is a little scary to wake up in the middle of the night."

CBS News Miami spoke with veteran Miami Beach Fire Department investigator Michael Sica, who said, "The battery had what we call thermal runaway and there was an inordinate amount of heat causing a chemical reaction with the battery cells causing toxic gases and also an explosive atmosphere."

He said you have to be careful.

"You should always monitor the batteries and always pay attention to the battery and the manufacturer's recommendations and follow those as much as possible," he said.

He said, "The battery should be plugged in indefinitely, forever. If there are any defects with the battery, if you hear any sounds, if you see the battery discoloring or creating, that is something you want to unplug and follow the safety regulations."

The owner of the apartment was forced to move out. That person was checked out by paramedics but did not have to be taken to the hospital.

Fortunately, no one was injured, according to the fire department.

The rechargeable batteries that power common items like e-bikes, scooters and electric cars can pose a dangerous threat to firefighters.

Fires caused by rechargeable batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, have been increasing steadily in large cities like New York and San Francisco, Since at least 2019, fire departments in the two cities said they've responded to at least 669 incidents combined.